a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to racks for holding and displaying plants, and, more particularly, to a rack for potted plants having trays that retract to a compact form for transportation and that extend and tilt for display and accessibility of the plants at a retail location.
b. Related Art
Bedding plants (e.g., flowers, vegetables, herbs and so forth) are commonly placed on racks for transportation from the grower's facility to the store or other retail location. Conventionally, the racks comprise a wheeled frame or base having upright posts that support a series of vertically arranged shelves or trays. The carts are loaded with plants (usually in small plastic pots) at the grower's greenhouse or nursery, and then rolled into a truck/trailer for transportation. At the retail location, the racks are rolled out into the display area, where the plants can be viewed and selected by customers.
Plant transport carts therefore face conflicting design requirements that have not been adequately addressed by the prior art. On the one hand, from a shipping standpoint, it is desirable to pack as many plants as possible into a compact volume, which requires positioning the shelves as close together as possible, i.e., with minimum vertical spacing. At the retail location, on the other hand, it is important for the customers to be able to see and reach the individual plants, which is not possible with the shelves positioned closely atop one another. Moreover, the plants require watering and other care while on display, which may be a period of days or even weeks; however, with the shelves placed closely together it is difficult or even impossible to water or otherwise reach the innermost plants, at least without damaging those at the outer edges of the trays, so that the former are frequently neglected and become unsellable. However, spacing the racks farther apart reduces the number of plants that can be carried during transportation.
Certain prior attempts have been made to address these problems. Perhaps the simplest approach has been to provide shelves that are mountable at various heights along the posts, using a series of slots or other attachment points. Although this arrangement allows the trays to be spread apart vertically once the rack has been delivered to the retail store, it necessitates removing several of the trays to create the space between the others; storage of the removed trays then becomes problematic, and the plants thereon must be displayed separately from those in the rack. Other racks have utilized trays that are progressively smaller towards the top, in a manner of a series of steps, in an effort to make the inner plants easier to access; this approach provides only marginal benefit, and significantly reduces the number of plants that can be transported on a rack. Other racks have been configured to allow the trays to be tilted for easier viewing, but this alone does little to address the issues of spacing and efficient storage of the plants during transportation.
It is also essential from the retailer's standpoint that the racks be simple for store personnel to operate. Safety is also a significant factor, since the racks are very heavy, especially when fully loaded, and could cause injury to customers or store personnel if they were to topple over during use.
A concurrent requirement is that the racks must be comparatively economical to produce, since even a modestly-sized grower/supplier needs a great many racks, representing a significant capital expense. Moreover, the racks must be sturdy and durable, since they are subjected to very hard use during repeated trips between the grower/supplier and the retail stores.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a rack for transportation and display of bedding plants, that transports the plants in a compact mass with minimal vertical spacing between the trays, but that displays the plants in a vertically-spaced and accessible manner in a retail environment. Furthermore, there exists a need for such a rack that is simple and convenient to operate, particularly for use by retail store personnel. Still further, there exists a need for such a rack that can be economically manufactured, and that is durable and long-lasting in use. Still further, there exists a need for such a rack that is stable and safe when set up and displayed in a retail store environment.